I just purchased a Winchester Model 94 from the estate of a Catholic priest that passed away a couple months ago, actually the same day that the pope died. Does anyone have information on how old it might be? The serial number is 13219XX. Also would this rifle have come with a hood over the front sight? It looks like there is a groove for one. I only paid $100 for it even after offering way more. Before he died, he gave me an M1 Carbine and a 1903A3.

joab

June 24, 2005, 09:35 PM

According to the Blue Book it was made sometime between 1943 and 1948 no records are available for those years.

1942 started with 1221289 so based on the semi arbitray number of 33,500 units a year that would put it around 1945.

But if you use another semi arbitrary number of 55300 units it would put it at about early 1944

DucksOnThePond

June 24, 2005, 10:04 PM

you can also use this website oldguns.net to look up dates for winchester.

joab

June 24, 2005, 10:20 PM

The year of manufacture for serial number 1321911 is Between 1943 and 1948..

No records are available form 1943 - 1948. (http://oldguns.net/)

bbrins

June 24, 2005, 10:30 PM

Thanks, it's a little older than I was thinking. Also, thanks for the link.

Johnny Guest

June 27, 2005, 03:07 PM

It appears they estimate that 1949 began with 1500000.

joab wrote that 1942 started with 1221289.

We know that Winchester was up to their necks in war production by that time, and that few, if any, sporting arms were produced during the war years. They PROBABLY resumed postwar production with serial numbers not a great deal higher than 1221289 - - Maybe right where they left off, or perhaps with some nice, even number llike 1250000.

If you sent in the $50 fee to the Cody Museum for as historical letter, I bet it would document your '94 as 1947 or so.

Best estimate - - - :p
Johnny

joab

June 27, 2005, 04:18 PM

If you sent in the $50 fee to the Cody Museum for as historical letter, I bet it would document your '94 as 1947 or so. A friend did that his letter read
The year of manufacture for serial number xxxxxxx is Between 1943 and 1948..

No records are available form 1943 - 1948.

My figure came from just averageing the number of guns made in the period divided by the number of years, it's all I could think of at the time. But we know that those numbers would not be consistant through those years It appears they estimate that 1949 began with 1500000. 150000 was the first gun made in '48, it was presented to Pres Truman to signal the restart of normal production